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Justice News

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of North Dakota

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, September 23, 2013

Rolla Woman Sentenced to 30 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

BISMARCK – U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Sept. 23, 2013, Michelle Laducer, 38, Rolla, N.D., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland on two charges of sexual exploitation of a minor. Laducer pleaded guilty to the charge on June 17, 2013.

Judge Hovland sentenced Laducer to serve 30 years in federal prison, the statutory maximum, to be followed by lifetime supervised release. Laducer was ordered to pay restitution of $1,223.16 and to pay a $200 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund. Laducer was also ordered to register as a sex offender.

Laducer produced numerous images of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct using a cellular smart phone with camera capabilities. Laducer also transported a juvenile within North Dakota so that another adult could take sexually explicit pictures of the juvenile. This conduct occurred between Jan. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2012.

The case was investigated by the North Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and was a cooperative effort of Homeland Security Investigations, the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the North Dakota Parole & Probation, and the Bismarck Police Department, with the assistance of the Burleigh County State’s Attorney’s Office.

This case was brought as a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.